An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast

This week on An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast I'm joined by Hayley Spira-Bauer , COO and Chief Academic Officer at Fullmind and host of the Learning Can't Wait Podcast . In a world where the education landscape is constantly shifting, Hayley makes a compelling case that adaptability isn't optional, it's essential. We explore how strong leaders connect the dots of dat...

I recently sat down with Dr. Jason Van Heukelum , Superintendent of Winchester Public Schools , to talk about what it really means to lead in a messy, high-pressure moment for public education. Jason embraces being an "imperfect" leader. In a field often paralyzed by the pressure for perfection, that mindset matters. Three takeaways that stayed with me: 🏛️ A Cathedral to Possibility: Winchester's...

🚨 Are schools preparing students for a world that no longer exists? I recently had the privilege of sitting down with Ted Dintersmith,  the force behind  Most Likely to Succeed and Multiple Choice , and author of What School Could Be (with a new book on math coming soon!) .  Our conversation centered on one big idea: the status quo isn't enough anymore. 🤖 AI changes the game: If we're training s...

In the latest episode of  An Imperfect Leader , I sat down with Patrick Green , author of Classroom Management in the Digital Age , to explore how schools can move beyond compliance and toward deeper focus, connection, and self-management in the digital age. Here are three ideas that really stood out during our conversation: 1️⃣ From compliance to self-management: We often say we want creativity a...

Leadership isn't about finding the perfect solution. It's about learning from the daily grind of complexity. In this week's episode of An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast , I had the chance to speak with Dr. Larry Cuban , former superintendent, Stanford professor, and author. A few insights that stayed with me, especially for leaders working in high-stakes environments:...

What if the problem in our schools isn't a lack of voice , but a lack of connection ? In this episode, I had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Matt Pitman , author of The Connection Conundrum , for a conversation that challenged many of the leadership norms we've inherited, especially the idea that effective leaders must remain stoic, distant, or emotionally neutral. Matt makes a compelling cas...

🎙️ New Episode Alert: If We Get Ninth Grade Right, Everything Changes In this episode of An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast I get to talk with Kaaren Andrews , National Director of the Center for High School Success . This conversation zeroes in on why getting 9th grade right can dramatically improve graduation rates and disrupt long-standing inequities in our system....

I'm excited to share the latest episode of An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast, featuring Mandy Traylor , Superintendent of Veribest ISD. Mandy offers a powerful look at what it means to lead with transparency, humility, and deep community trust.   A few takeaways that stayed with me 👇 🤝 Shared Vision, Real Buy-In : Through a Texas Strategic Leadership pilot, Mandy br...

Are you leading from a place of fixing … or from a place of presence ? 🌱   In the latest episode of An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast , I had the honor of sitting down with Elena Aguilar, the visionary behind Transformational Coaching and author of eight bestselling books, including The Art of Coaching and Arise . 📚✨   Leadership can be a lonely journey. We're ofte...

The latest episode of An Imperfect Leader features Dr. Bryan Luizzi , Superintendent of New Canaan Public Schools, and it's a powerful reminder that leadership is less about having the answers and more about having the courage to step forward.   From Connecticut classrooms to teaching and leading in Jordan , Bryan and I explore what it means to lead people in moments of uncertainty and change.  ...

This week, I had the privilege of sitting down with  Dr. Richard Lemons , Executive Director of Partners for Educational Leadership , for a conversation that every system-level leader should spend time with.   Richard has spent decades helping leaders tackle the hardest work in education: changing systems without losing our humanity.   Here are three themes leaders should listen for : 1. You Can't...

🎙️ New Episode of An Imperfect Leader Some conversations stay with you long after the recording ends. My conversation with Dr. Nyah Hamlett is one of those.   Dr. Hamlett, former superintendent of Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and now Chief Equity & Development Officer for Montgomery County Public Schools, offers a deeply honest reflection on leadership under pressure.     Here are  three them...

Facility planning and passing a facility bond can be among the most complex (and stressful!) challenges a superintendent faces. On this episode of  An Imperfect Leader , I talk with Ben Thompson , K-12 Director at McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture and host of the Idea Exchange: The Future of K-12 Education podcast . We explore how the spaces we design for learning can drive stronger student outco...

In this episode of A n Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast we had the pleasure of talking with Dr. Doug Bolton,  clinical psychologist, author of Untethered , and director of school consultation for Formative Psychological Services. In  Untethered: Creating Connected Families, Schools, and Communities to Raise a Resilient Generation, Doug breaks down what it means to lead...

This week we're sitting down with someone who has  walked the walk for nearly four decades: Terrie Morgan , 2024 Kentucky Superintendent of the Year and a truly humble, student-centered leader from Hardin County Schools. Terrie brings warmth, honesty, and hard-earned wisdom from 36 years of service - and she doesn't hold back. If you care about leading with heart  and systems-level clarity, this i...

I'm excited to share my conversation with Dr. Richard Ramos , Superintendent of the Miami Unified School District in Miami, Arizona. Dr. Ramos brings such heart to his work - lifting student voice, building true community partnerships, and embracing the beautiful messiness of leadership. Here are the three big themes from our conversation: Student Agency & Community Collaboration: How a simple ide...

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Darren Kennedy , the High School Instructional Supervisor for Sumner County Schools (just outside Nashville, Tennessee). Dr. Kennedy, author of So You Think You Want to Be a Principal, 50 Voices from the Field , shares powerful insights on creating transformational change in school culture and academics. Leaders, here are three things you will learn from this...

How do we prepare students to become empathic individuals and global citizens in an increasingly complex world? Dr. Paul Freeman , Superintendent of Guilford Public Schools and Connecticut's Superintendent of the Year, joins An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast to discuss leading transformational change through c onfident vulnerability. Dr. Freeman shares how Guilford's...

In this week's episode, we sit down with Dr. John Anzalone , Superintendent of the Camas School District (WA). Dr. Anzalone shares his powerful reflections on leadership and what it truly means to lead with humility. Here are 3 lessons on imperfect leadership and courageous strategy we learned from John: 🌟 1. Establish a Clear North Star:  Every financial decision should point back to one thing:...

I had the absolute pleasure of speaking with Dr. Deborah Wortham ,  nationally recognized educator, author of the bestseller Setting the Atmosphere , and CEO of Wortham Educational Enterprises. Dr. Wortham shared powerful insights on how leaders move systems forward by focusing on culture, confidence, and consistency. If you're leading a system and striving to create the conditions for lasting tra...

We recently had a powerful conversation with David K. Richards , nationally recognized education leader, innovator, CEO of Changemaker MicroSchools , and host of the Changemaker EDU podcast . The episode delves into an innovative model for educational leaders to consider. Here are three key takeaways from our conversation: 1. Understanding the Micro School Model  A microschool is defined by its in...

What If AI Were Your Business Partner? How can school leaders use AI as a thought partner and collaborator? The conversation around AI isn't about the future anymore, it's about  now . This week's episode is a thought-provoking one. I sit down with  Matt Leta , founder and CEO of FutureWorks , a serial entrepreneur, and a forward-thinking voice on AI in leadership and education. Matt doesn't just...

What does it really mean to lead for democracy in our schools today? This week on An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast , I sit down with Dr. John Rogers of UCLA's School of Education and Information Studies for a powerful conversation on one of the biggest drains on schools today: culturally divisive conflict . Dr. Rogers makes a clear distinction between healthy politic...

Thrilled to welcome Dr. Jason Radford , recently-retired Superintendent of Oldham County Schools (KY), to An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast. His journey is a terrific example of trust, strategy, and servant leadership. Here are three big takeaways for all of us imperfect leaders: ✨ 1. Trust Through Transparency & Vulnerability: When trust was low and turnover high, D...

Public schools are now the "frontline of America's intensifying cultural and political conflicts," and many superintendents find themselves unprepared for this new level of engagement. In my conversation with Dr. Carl Cohn, former superintendent in Long Beach and San Diego, McGraw Prize winner, and elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, we explored how the very nature of educ...